Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt named Todd Haley head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs on February 6, 2009. The second-youngest head coach in franchise history at 42 years old, Haley brings an energetic and passionate approach to his initial head coaching assignment.

“Todd is an outstanding football coach with a proven track record of success at every stop in his career, and we look forward to his leadership,” Hunt said upon hiring Haley.

Haley enters his 15th season in the NFL in 2009. He is entering his 13th season as a coach in the league after beginning his pro career as a scouting assistant with the N .Y. Jets in ’95.

He joins the Chiefs after a two-year stint as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals (2007-08). During his tenure with the Cardinals, he helped revitalize a franchise that hadn’t reached the NFL title game since ’47. In just his second season in Arizona, the Cardinals enjoyed a remarkable renaissance, winning the club’s first division title since ’75. Arizona enjoyed a sensational postseason run, reaching Super Bowl XLIII thanks in large part to Haley’s explosive offensive unit.

Haley pairs with General Manager Scott Pioli to give the Chiefs organization a highly-motivated, like-minded leadership tandem vividly focused on building Kansas City into a franchise that can compete for championships on a consistent basis.

“It was also important for our head coach to have an understanding of the player personnel side of the operation and be able to effectively communicate his vision for the football team to the personnel department,” Hunt added.

Clearly, Haley and Pioli are a duo familiar with returning organizations to pro football prominence. Haley served on the coaching staff, while Pioli was the Director of Pro Personnel for a N.Y. Jets franchise that reached the ’98 AFC Championship Game after finishing 1-15 in ’96.   

“One of Todd’s unique qualifications is the fact that he’s served with a number of different organizations, four in particular that have turned their franchises around,” Pioli observed. “We have a shared vision of what it takes to build a successful franchise in the National Football League. He will bring passion, dedication and energy to Kansas City, and I am confident that this is the beginning of a partnership that will serve the Chiefs well.”

In addition to his tenure with the Cardinals, Haley enjoyed previous NFL coaching experience with Dallas (2004-06), Chicago (2001-03) and the N .Y. Jets (’97-00), earning playoff berths with each of those franchises.

Under Haley’s guidance, the Cardinals offense in 2008 was one of the league’s most innovative and explosive units. Arizona tied for third in the league in scoring, registering a franchise-record 427 points (26 .7 ppg). The Cardinals were fourth in total offense, averaging 365 .8 yards per game. Arizona was second in the league in passing offense (292 .1 ypg) and ranked sixth in the NFL with 20 .5 first downs per game.

Haley’s offensive unit in Arizona featured a trio of Pro Bowl performers in 2008. QB Kurt Warner led all NFC passers and established single-season franchise records with a 96 .9 rating and 30 TD passes. Warner threw for 377 yards and three TDs in Super Bowl XLIII.

Meanwhile, WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin formed the league’s most potent receiving tandem. Fitzgerald led all NFC receivers with 96 catches for 1,431 yards with 12 TDs. He enjoyed a seven-catch, 127-yard, two-TD performance in Super Bowl XLIII and set NFL postseason records for receptions (30), receiving yards (546), TD receptions (seven) and 100-yard games (four) during the 2008 playoffs . Boldin had 89 receptions for 1,038 yards with 11 TDs during the regular season, while WR Steve Breaston had 77 receptions for 1,006 yards, making the Cardinals just the fifth team in NFL history to boast three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season .  

Arizona’s offensive resurgence began when Haley joined the Cardinals as offensive coordinator in 2007. That season the Cardinals ranked fifth in the league in passing (254 .1 ypg) and set a single-season franchise record with 32 TD passes. Arizona was also second in the NFL with a 94 .0 Red Zone scoring percentage. The Cardinals ranked seventh in the league in scoring by averaging 25 .3 ppg after ranking 19th in that category in 2006 (19 .6 ppg). The Cardinals also rose to 12th in total offense (344 .1 ypg) in 2007, an improvement of 31 .6 ypg after ranking 18th in that category one year earlier.

He joined Ken Whisenhunt’s staff in Arizona after serving a three-year stint as passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach for Dallas (2004-06). In 2006, the Cowboys offense ranked fourth in the NFL in passing (239 .8 ypg) as QB Tony Romo became a Pro Bowl performer in his first year as a starter and Dallas qualified for the postseason.

Haley’s passing attack helped the Cowboys finish fourth in the league in scoring (26 .6 ppg) and second in third-down efficiency at 48 .8%. Dallas boasted a pair of 1,000-yard pass catchers in WRs Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn. In 2005, Glenn averaged 18 .3 yards per catch to tie for the NFL lead and posted 1,136 receiving yards, the first 1,000-yard campaign by a member of the Cowboys since ’99 . In his debut with the Cowboys in 2004, WR Keyshawn Johnson recorded 70 catches for 981 yards and six TDs with Haley serving as his position coach.  

Haley joined the Cowboys after a three-year tour of duty as wide receivers coach for Chicago (2001-03) under head coach Dick Jauron. In 2001, the Bears went 13-3 and won the NFC Central for the first time since ’90 as WR Marty Booker set a single-season franchise record with 100 catches. Under Haley’s tutelage in 2002 Booker became just the second player in franchise annals to post back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, becoming Chicago’s first Pro Bowl wide receiver since ’71.

His initial NFL experience came as a member of the N .Y. Jets (’95-00), where he served as that club’s wide receivers coach from ’99-00. In his initial season in that capacity, he helped WR Keyshawn Johnson earn his second straight Pro Bowl berth as he accumulated 89 receptions for 1,170 yards and caught eight TDs in ’99. Haley also worked as an offensive assistant/quality control coach for the Jets (’97-98), working closely with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who currently serves as the head coach at Notre Dame. He began his NFL tenure as an assistant in the Jets scouting department in ’95, where he scouted regionally and assisted in player evaluations.

Born on February 28, 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia, Haley attended Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, where he was a multi-sport standout. He was a member of the golf squads at the University of Florida and the University of Miami and participated in the NCAA golf tournament during his time with the Gators. He earned a degree in Communications from the University of North Florida in ’91, where he was also a member of the golf squad.

Haley and his wife, Chrissy, have four daughters: Taylor, Peyton, Kady, and Ella and one son, Richard Todd, Jr.